Congratulations to the Arctic Council on the 25^th anniversary of its successful work for the benefit of all residents of the Arctic and the planet!

We express our sincere gratitude to Iceland for its multifaceted and interesting work with the observers that helped define the areas in which our organization can bring most value to strengthening and development of constructive international cooperation in the Arctic, as well as for the invitation to present the vision of the Northern Forum at a very important Arctic Council’s panel discussion with the observers on governance in the Arctic.

The Northern Forum has been an observer at the Arctic Council since 1998 and has consistently supported its activities, ensuring the organization's participation in almost all major events of the Arctic Council, both at the level of the foreign ministers and Senior Arctic Officials and the working groups and projects.

Under Iceland's chairmanship, the Northern Forum has been active in promoting the mission, goals and objectives of the Arctic Council at the regional level. We intend to continue this activity under the chairmanship of the Russian Federation.

We express our appreciation to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and personally to the Ambassador-at-Large, the Senior Arctic Official of the Russian Federation Nikolai Korchunov, the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and the Arctic, and personally to the Deputy Director of the Department of Technology Development and International Cooperation in Regions of the Far East and of the Arctic of the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and the Arctic, Representative of the Russian Federation in the Arctic Council Sustainable Development Working Group Oleg Solyakov for proposing the Northern Forum to become a partner of the Russian Chairmanship at organizing such major events as the Arctic Resilience Forum, Arctic Energy Summit, Conference of Chambers of Trade and Commerce and Business Associations of the Arctic and Northern Regions, Youth Startup Forum and others.

We are committed to make every effort to efficiently hold the proposed events and being actively involved in the implementation of the Major Action Plan of the Russian Federation's Chairmanship in the Arctic Council in 2021-2023.

At the 14^th Northern Forum General Assembly, held on April 28-29, 2021 in Naryan-Mar (Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia), the Board of Governors adopted Resolution # 229 "On the Northern Youth Forum", as well as Resolution # 230 "On supporting the Russian Federation’s Chairmanship in the Arctic Council”, which will allow to significantly contribute to the activities of the Arctic Council.

We highlight the need to intensify efforts to ensure the engagement of the Northern Forum member regions in the ongoing Arctic Council projects, primarily in the Arctic Children: Preschool and School Education and Digitalization of the Linguistic and Cultural Heritage of the Indigenous Peoples of the Arctic projects. As per Resolution # 233 signed on April 28, 2021 by the Northern Forum Regional Coordinators Committee, the above projects have been included in the list of the Northern Forum priority projects.

Taking into account the increasing importance of the Arctic and the need to maintain peace and stability, strengthen and expand international cooperation in the Arctic and in the world, support the indigenous peoples of the Arctic, the Northern Forum addresses the distinguished foreign ministers of the Arctic states with the following proposals:

1. We consider it viable for the Arctic Council to address the United Nations Organization with a proposal to establish the International Decade of the Arctic and the International Day of the Arctic.
2. We note the need for more active involvement of the Senior Arctic Officials, leaders and representatives of the Arctic Council working groups in the events of the Arctic Council observer organizations.
3. We propose to conduct planned training of young specialists - future leaders of international cooperation in the Arctic, using the potential of international organizations that have their own youth associations and are professionally involved in specialist training.
4. We propose to organize not only popular models of the Arctic Council, but also the models of interaction between the Arctic Council and the observers. The Northern Forum is ready to organize a model of interaction between the Northern Forum and the Arctic Council.
5. We invite you to take part in the celebrations dedicated to the Northern Forum’s 30^th Anniversary to be held within the 3rd Northern Sustainable Development Forum on September 27-30, 2021 in Yakutsk (Sakha Republic (Yakutia), Russia).

Sincerely,
Executive Director
Vladimir Vasilev